MFL Policy Lead, Department for Education

Policy Fellow, Centre for Science and Policy

Helena Wright leads on modern foreign languages policy at the Department for Education. Prior to this she worked on English policy, helping to set up a network of English hub schools to improve the teaching of reading. She joined the DfE after a career break during which she taught on UCL’s Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health Masters programme.

Helena started her civil service career as a fast streamer at the Department of Health, where among other things she worked on the first mandate to the newly-formed NHS England, setting out the Government’s priorities for the organisation’s £95bn budget. Helena completed a PhD in philosophy from New York University in 2012.